Search results for "Ficedula"
showing 10 items of 54 documents
Data from: Geolocators reveal variation and sex-specific differences in the migratory strategies of a long-distance migrant
2021
Bell F, Bearhop S, Briedis M, El Harouchi M, Bell SC, Castello J, Burgess M. 2022. Geolocators reveal variation and sex-specific differences in the migratory strategies of a long-distance migrant. Ibis. doi:10.1111/ibi.13017
Plumage colour and male-male interactions in the pied flycatcher
1993
Abstract Abstract. The influence of male colour on male-male interactions in the pied flycatcher, Ficedula hypoleuca , was studied using several types of field experiments. This species exhibits delayed plumage maturation, each male becoming more conspicuously black and white from the first to the second breeding summer. However, individual males vary even more, some old males being as brown as females. When territorial males were presented with a choice between brown and black male intruders (or brown males painted black) they directed more aggression towards the black males. Brown plumage did not help males obtain nestboxes close to other males. If anything browner males were at a disadva…
Predator proximity as a stressor in breeding flycatchers: mass loss, stress protein induction, and elevated provisioning.
2010
We investigated the physiological and behavioral consequences for prey breeding at different distances from a nesting predator. In a natural setting, Pied Flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca) made territory location decisions relative to established Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) nests. From female flycatchers attending nests at different distances from Sparrowhawk nests, we measured body mass, blood stress protein (HSP60 and HSP70), and plasma immunoglobulin levels at the beginning (initial) and end (final) of the flycatcher breeding cycle, and provisioning rates during the nestling phase. We found that individuals breeding in closer proximity to Sparrowhawk nests, under higher perceived predat…
Can female preference explain sexual dichromatism in the pied flycatcher, Ficedula hypoleuca?
1990
How important female choice is for the evolution of male secondary sexual characteristics is controversial. Two field and one laboratory experiment, using the pied flycatcher, were performed to test the female choice aspect of sexual selection. In addition, non-manipulative data from 5 years are presented. The observational data suggest a slight preference for dark males by females but in field experiments in which males had territories at random sites (i.e. they did not choose a territory) or the colour of concurrently arriving males was altered, there was no preference for darker ones. Similarly, oestradiol-treated females did not prefer black or brown males in the laboratory. Thus, there…
Determinants of the Mating Success of Polyterritorial Pied Flycatcher Males
2010
Much attention has been paid to the polyterritorial mating system of some passerine birds. Here we report how a male's mating success is related to the behavioral traits of polyterritorial pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca) males. We found no evidence that the timing of polyterritoriality in relation to egg laying in the primary nest or the singing behavior of males have any influence on mating success. However, results show clearly that male mating success was improved with an increase in the distance between territories up to a distance of about 200–300 m whereupon there was no further enhancement of mating success. This finding is crucial for both the deception hypothesis and female-fe…
Individual color variation and male quality in pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca): a role of ultraviolet reflectance
2002
Bright coloration of males in many animal species has inspired researchers for more than a century. In this field study, we investigated whether color variation between individuals is related to individual quality in pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca) males in terms of arrival time at the breeding sites. In addition to traditional visual color scoring, plumage color was measured using spectroradiometric measurements between 320 and 700 nm. This range includes the near-ultraviolet waveband from 320 to 400 nm. Males that arrived earlier at breeding sites had higher proportional UV reflectance in the crown and mantle. The proportional UV reflectance in the crown and mantle was not related to…
Female Attraction Behaviour of Radio Tagged Polyterritorial Pied Flycatcher Males
1993
AbstractPolygynous mating is costly for pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca) females. Thus, females have a good reason to attempt to avoid mating with already mated polyterritorial males. One cue to disclose a male's mating status is his behaviour. The behaviour of polyterritorial and unmated males was studied by radio tagging that allows accurate recording of male movements. While attracting a secondary female polyterritorial males spent significantly less time on the secondary territory than did unmated males on their single territory. Polyterritorial males also tended to have lower song rates. When a female appeared on the secondary territory of polyterritorial males, they increased the …
Forehead Patch Size Predicts the Outcome of Male–Male Competition in the Pied Flycatcher
2013
Males of many animal species express ornaments that affect their reproduction opportunities through male–male competition or female mate choice. Such ornaments can, for example, inform conspecifics about the fighting ability, condition or territory ownership of the bearer. Pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca) males have a conspicuous white forehead patch that varies greatly in size. We examined whether the white forehead patch is an intrasexually selected trait in a Finnish population. We artificially manipulated forehead patch size to represent two naturally occurring extremes and competed males against each other in the presence of a female. Males with a large forehead patch were more agg…
Data from: Elevated oxidative stress in pied flycatcher nestlings of eumelanic foster fathers under low rearing temperatures
2019
Striking variation in melanin coloration within natural populations is likely due to the different fitness outcomes of alternative phenotypes in varying environmental conditions. There are two types of melanins. Eumelanins yield blackish hues, while pheomelanins yield reddish hues. The production of eumelanins requires low levels of glutathione (GSH), which is the most important intracellular antioxidant, while the production of pheomelanins requires high levels of GSH. We investigated the oxidative status of male pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca) with different degrees of melanin coloration under different temperatures during the nestling period. Moreover, we assessed the oxidative sta…
Data from: Predator encounters have spatially extensive impacts on parental behaviour in a breeding bird community
2016
Predation risk has negative indirect effects on prey fitness, partly mediated through changes in behaviour. Evidence that individuals gather social information from other members of the population suggests that events in a community may impact the behaviour of distant individuals. However, spatially wide-ranging impacts on individual behaviour caused by a predator encounter elsewhere in a community have not been documented before. We investigated the effect of a predator encounter (hawk model presented at a focal nest) on the parental behaviour of pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca), both at the focal nest and at nearby nests different distances from the predator encounter. We show that n…